Thousands of gas pumps can't register above $3.99/gallon or over $99.99 for the total purchase

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_bi_ge/old_gas_pumps;_ylt=Ar5cPNZ.6yi3U_pApptsb0is0NUE

Old gas pumps can't handle ever-rising prices

By JOHN K. WILEY, Associated Press Writer
38 minutes ago



REARDAN, Wash. - Mom-and-pop service stations are running into a problem as gasoline marches toward $4 a gallon: Thousands of old-fashioned pumps can't register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials.

The pumps, throwbacks to a bygone era on the American road, are difficult and expensive to upgrade, and replacing them is often out of the question for station owners who are still just scraping by.

Many of the same pumps can only count up to $99.99 for the total sale, preventing owners of some SUVs, vans, trucks and tractor-trailers to fill their tanks all the way.

As many as 8,500 of the nation's 170,000 service stations have old-style meters that need to be fixed — about 17,000 individual pumps, said Bob Renkes, executive vice president of the Petroleum Equipment Institute of Tulsa, Okla.

[villager]

1. where can we find a list of these stations...

...so we can buy gas there once it's over $4.00 everywhere...?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. They could always reallign the dollar amount by halving it (like the price was

four years ago) and doubling the final amount.

[MercutioATC]

3. Funny. I remember that happening when gas went above $1.00/gallon.

Old pumps only went to .99. The station owners had to put a piece of paper that said $1 before the cents readout.

[liberal N proud]

4. They had similar problems when gas topped $1.00 in the 70's

Until they got new pumps many places stuck a 1 sticker on the pump or would set the price at 1/2 the cost and you had to pay double the price at the register.

But that will not be as easy with pay at the pump.

[Pab Sungenis]

8. Switch it to liters.

People will flock to your station when they see "REGULAR .98" on the sign, unless they do the math.

[liberal N proud]

9. I am surprised the oil tycoons have not figure that one out

You know a majority of people in this country couldn't do the math even if they had a calculator in hand.

America is Metric stupid. We should have been on the metric system years ago. Gallons, inches and miles make no sense in the world today.

[deadmessengers]

10. There are laws against that, IIRC

If I remember correctly, there's a Federal law stating that gasoline prices must be quoted in US gallons.

Now, of course, the law could be changed, but that won't happen unless someone in the fuel-pump business hires a bunch of lobbyists and makes a huge block of fat campaign donations.

[BeHereNow]

5. Time to invest in pump manufacturers...

You can bet the elite already have.
BHN

[depakid]

6. It's the new Y2K

or, alternatively, not such a bad way to effect a rationing system.

[rfranklin]

7. Just change it to liters such as Europe uses....

Most Americans are so illiterate about the metric system that they'll think the price of gas went down. Of course, they will get one-quarter the mileage they did before.

[coriolis]

11. Problem with that is the pumps don't know from liters...

:eyes:

My friend's little baitshop/gas station ran into this problem when it hit $3. Her pumps only registered up to 2.999
has had a sign saying YOU OWE TWICE WHAT THE PUMP SAYS for months now...people still screw up.

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. It would seem to me that the pump could meter fuel in any measurement you like.

All it does is count how many times and how much of a specific volume passes through. It could measure in cups if calibrated to do so.

[CRF450]

15. I'm illiterate too about the metric system, know why?

Because its hardly taught here.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

12. Cool... they can't charge more than 3.99 for gas

Love to see a price freeze :silly:

[Retrograde]

13. doesn't seem to be a problem here! (nt)

[Ilsa]

14. The station around the corner only goes up to $75.00 for a single sale

and shuts off. It's a relatively new station.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

16. Isn't that an credit card issue?

I remember when that use to happen to me in '06 when I filled my truck, and filled two gas cans. It shut me down and then I had to start over to finish getting more gas.

[Ilsa]

18. Good idea. Thanks. I may have to check with my cc company on that. nt